Borneo Longhouses to have Internet Access Soon

Longhouses to have Internet Access Soon. Reported in the Borneo Post, 25 September, 2009, p. 15. Broadband Internet services will be available in several longhouses in Lubok Antu and Engkilili once the Community Broadband project is completed. "The Internet is also a good way to promote the longhouse to people in other parts of the world" said MP William Nyalau anak Badak. The town "Engkilili" is in the Sri Aman Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. The longhouse is a traditional dwelling on the Island of Borneo in South East Asia. The Sri Aman government website is under construction. My photo shows a traditional longhouse at Sarawak Cultural Village, near Kuching in Malaysia. It is not the longhouse mentioned in the news article. Discuss this and other Internet related topics on the Equatorial 2.0 discussion group on Facebook.

Thinking Upstream About Ideas and Human Rights

My other blog Thinking Upstream, about ideas and human rights, is based on online news of some of the bloggers and journalists who remain unjustly imprisoned in several countries. As one blogger among many, I hope to draw attention to the people mentioned, urging that we each seek peaceful ways to secure their freedom. They have been hurt by authoritarianism and its cruel repression, and by those who execute that repression or gain from it. I have no experience of the countries mentioned, but am convinced of the accuracy of the news, by the variety of reputable publications, to which I refer in the hyper-links of my posts. I blog about human rights because: all freedoms and rights are fragile, and at risk of being lost, if we are even a little careless. Thinking Upstream is now a PDF file on Scribd.com for easy offline reading, even in places where Friendster is blocked. I used Google Translate to machine-translate it into various languages, also in PDF format on Scribd.com.Thinking Upstream is at: http://cmcallister.blog.friendster.com/. Your comments are welcome.
The image refers to United Nations' Article 19, and contains photos of victims of repression.

Ferrymen at Bako National Park

Ferrymen waiting to return visitors home from a rain forest trek at Bako National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

I wish my friends a prosperous and happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai. This holiday coincides with the end of rainy season, which has been a bad one in Sarawak. Term is starting at the universities and we will be expected to work like oxen in the Year Of The Ox.

Universities and Transport in Sarawak Malaysia

As a newcomer to Sarawak, transport was a big problem for me, so I bought a scooter. You can buy a used scooter in Malaysia for MYR 3000 or less. Motorcycling is not without risk, so always were a helmet. I fell off and broke a couple of ribs. If you can afford MYR 10,000 to 25,000, you could buy an old car when you arrive. I taught Physics at Curtin University near Miri, and have just started working at Swinburne University in Kuching, lecturing in Computing and Design. If you live on campus, you will have less worry about transport and housing. Kuching is a GREAT city, much smaller than KL and much bigger than Miri. It's too early for me to comment on Swinburne University, except to say that I am impressed by the facilities, which are in a down town location. If you are looking for a more rural campus, I recommend Curtin University near Miri, Sarawak. Related groups on Facebook are Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak) and Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus. There is a bus service from Curtin University, via the Senadin suburb to Miri city center.

Discuss Mathematics on Friendster?

All are welcome to join the "Mirimatics" group at Friendster.com. An unofficial online forum for discussing: mathematics and popular or obscure stories about mathematics, fact or fiction.

Mirimatics Topic List:

• Does the use of examples make learning mathematics more difficult?
• Statistical Evidence on the need for Helmet Laws
• Where can undergraduates publish mathematics research?
• Does Bistromathics explain the global financial slowdown?
• Open License makes OpenGL Graphics Library more available
• Is your aptitude for mathematics being neglected and wasted?
• Interested in the mathematics of computer games?

I use Friendster.com because it is popular in Asia. I also opened the "Sarawak Science" group, an unofficial forum for discussing science. I blog on Friendster at "Thinking Upstream".

Sabah, Malaysia has the Worlds Longest Insects

A 56.7cm long stick insect, of the previously unknown species "Phobaeticus chani", was discovered by a Sabah resident in 1989, and given to Malaysian amateur naturalist Datuk Chan Chew Lun. Not including its legs, the insect’s body measures 35.7cm. The specimen is on display in the Natural History Museum in England. Read the N.H.M. article "World's longest insect revealed" for more details. It says "The world's longest insect, a 56.7cm long stick-insect from Borneo, is revealed at the Natural History Museum today." British scientist Dr Philip Bragg described and named this stick-insect and details are in the journal Zootaxa. As noted by Chan Chew Lin, in The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, "Probably 200-250 species of these (leaf and stick insects) inhabit the rainforests of Malaysia." In addition to discovering new species, Chan Chew Lun is chief editor of the Natural History Publications series. Reference and insect photo from http://www.welt.de/english-news/.